| Vegetative as well as reproductive phenology of tropical trees frequently occur synchronously at the end of the dry season. It has been repeatedly observed on two individuals of the tropical species Ficus obtusifolia growing in Caracas that they lose their entire foliage in a period of 48 h during the dry season and renew it within the next 72 h. In order to gain knowledge on the mechanisms that govern leaf exchange in F. obtusifolia, we followed in these two individuals the seasonal changes in leaf and fruit phenology, water relations and environmental variables, and in another 25, phenology only. Although foliar exchange was always observed before the rainy season, it also occurred near the end of the rainy season. An increase in leaf turgor potential of... |
